Mail-bag.



Patented Sept. I2, |899. J. B. MAY.

M'AIL BAG.

(Appliencion med July a1, 1899.;

(No Hedel.)

2 Sheets-Sheet v l.

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Patented Sept. I2, |899. J. B. MAY.

MAIL BAG.

(Application led July 31, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Medel.)

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'JOSEPH B. MAY, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 632,842, dated September 12, 1899.

v Application led July 31, 1899. Serial No. 725,674. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: p Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. MAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bags; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in mail bags or pouches, more particularly to means for quickly and securely opening and closing the mouth or open end thereof.

It has for its object principally to provide for the expeditious and ready closing and openin g of the bag and at the same time effectively guard against tampering with the contents thereof.

Other objects are to produce a device of simple and economic construction, durable in use, light, flexible, and adapted for use in post-office and postal-car pouch-racks commonly in'use.

To these ends the invention consists, substantially, of a pouch or bag having its mouth or end portion provided with suitablyarranged blind seams,wherebyit may be quickly folded thereat upon itself.

It also consists in arranging said blind seams preferably on diagonal or angular lines and coming to a taper or apex centrally of the upper edges of the bag, the angular corner portions of the bag thus formed adapted to fold automatically upon these blind seams, the apex or central portion formed thereby adapted to fold upon a horizontallydisposed blind seam arranged substantially as hereinafter described, and to receive a staple projecting from and secured to the back wall of the pouch, thus permitting the expeditious closing of the mouth of the bag. If desired, these folded portions may be partially enveloped or inclosed by a supplemental flap secured to the bag or pouch adapted to lie flat upon the said previously-folded portions and to engage with said staple, the hole thus being adapted to be effectively secured by any desired fastening means.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the preferred form of my invention.

In said drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of the pouch open. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the pouch. Fig. 2a is a section on line 2 2, Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the diagonal folds turned down. Fig. 4 is a View showing the apex turned down upon the bag. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the bag closed and the supplemental flap in position thereon. Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a section on line 5 5, Fig. 5. Fig. Sis an enlarged section through the label, the.

Latitude is allowed herein as to details, as they may be changed at will, as circumstances may require, witho ut departing from the spirit of my invention and the same yet remain intact and be protected.

In carrying out my invention I take a mail bag or pouch l, of usual construction in its general outlines, and crease or fold it at the mouth or open-end portion upon diagonal or angular lines upon opposite sides and stitch the same longitudinally,forming blind seams,

as 2 2, said seams beginning at the lateral edges, as it were, ofthe bag or pouch asuitable distance from the upper or open end and terminating about centrally of the longitudinal section or length thereof at the extreme portion of said upper edge, thus forming folds oniiap 2", thus initially folding the bag upon its blind seams provided for bringing the inner o1' opposite longitudinal edges of the folds 2 substantially parallel, and said parallel edges are provided with pieces of leather 3cr other suitable material adapted to lap each other and having eyleted openings n 4 to receive and permit the passage ltherethrough of a staple 5, secured to the bag or pouch at its back upon the inside. By forming blind stitches herein referred to it is obvious that they will cause the flaps to readily fold thereon, as will be readily understood. The

or open end of the bag or pouch, the openings 3 of the eyelets 3, thus being brought into individual coincidence andalined with the staple 5 of the bag, ready to permit of the application of the padlock thereto for fastening the same.

As shown, the front of the bag is provided with but two eyelets, as the intermediate one may be readilydispensed with. These eyelets are so disposed as to lie only at such points along the edge of the folds where no creasing is required, and the amount of material at the point of folding is therefore materially reduced, thereby insuring the folding of the bag upon the blind seam 2l. Thus closing or fastening the mouth or open end of the bag or pouch eifectually prevents tampering with the fastening or gaining access to the contents of the bag or pouch clandestinely. Also dispensing With all metal fastenings exclusive of the padlock, universally7 employed in this connection, as in my invention, overcomes or reduces to the minimum the liability of the crushing or otherwise impairing the fastening or locking means therefor.

A supplemental iiap 7 may be attached to the bag or pouch l by sewing or riveting, preferably with its lateral edges removed on diagonal lines, for covering or enveloping the otherwise exposed edges of the flap 2a, Where they receive or permit the passage therethrough of the staple 5, the latter in that case also passing through an eyeleted opening Ga in said supplemental flap provided for that purpose, and thus more effectually, if possible, protect said parts from being tampered with. The ap 7 is preferably reinforced or armed with a piece of leather 7 or other suitable material, preferably extended the whole depth of said flap 7 and a suitable distance along the bag, as shown. This ap may be used or not, as desired. It* can also be, as also the other flaps or folding portions of the bag or pouch, made of a lighter material, if desired.

In Fig. S I have shown an enlarged section through a label and the means for securing the same to the bag. This label 8 is preferably of leather and is provided with slits 8 near either end. These slits are adapted to receive a strap 9, riveted or otherwise secured at one end to a suitable point on the pouch and having secured to its other or free end a metal plate 9a. This free end of the strap passes through a slot in the portion of the bag to which the label is to be secured, and the metal plate 9 serves as a barb to prevent its accidental withdrawal therefrom. I preferably secure the strap 9 to the rear of the apex, so that the same will be brought into the position shown in Fig. 4L. If desired, however, the

label may be placed upon the supplemental flaps, as in Fig. 5, or in any other desired position.

In the foregoing description I have shown .what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The mail pouch or bag having its open end or mouth portion provided with lateral folds formed by diagonal stitched blind seams and With their longitudinal or parallel edges adapted to lap and receive the pouch or bag staple, substantially as set forth.

2. The mail pouch or bag having its open end or mouth adapted to form folds bending on diagonal stitched blind seams with their outer edges contiguous to a line extending through the longitudinal center of said bag or pouch and their parallel edges adapted to lap each other, and receive the pouch or bag staple, said folds together with the bag or pouch, adapted also to fold on a transverse blind seam, substantially as set forth.

3. The mail bag or pouch having its mouth or open end adapted to form folds bending on diagonally-arranged stitched blind seams and With their longitudinal edges parallel and provided With eyelets adapted to lap each other, and receive the bag or pouch staple, and a supplemental flap transversely connected to said bag or pouch and adapted to cover the outer staple-receiving edges of the aforesaid flaps and to also receive said staple, substantially as specied.

a. A mail bag or pouch having diagonal stitched blind seams arranged adjacent to the mouth thereof, and corner portions or folds of said bag adapted to automatically bend upon said blind seams, substantially as set forth.

5. A mail bag or pouch having diagonal and transverse stitched blind seams arranged substantially as described; corner portions or folds of said bag adaptedto automatically bend upon the diagonal blind seams, and said folds and the bag adapted to bend upon the transverse blind seams, substantially as described.

6. A mail bag or pouch having diagonal and transverse stitched blind seams as described, corner portions or folds of said bag adapted to bend automatically upon said diagonal blind seams, and overlap at their edges, said edges reduced ata point coincident With the transverse blind seam, and the folds and the bag adapted to automatically bend upon said transverse seam, substantially as described. Y

7. Amail bag or pouch having diagonal and transverse stitched blind seams arranged substantially as described; a staple secured to the inner side of the back of the bag and projecting through the front thereof, corner por- IOC tions or folds of said bag adapted to automatadapted no overlap the downwardly-turned lo eally bend upon said diagonal blind seams portion of the bag and its folds, substantially and engage with said staple, the edges of the as described.

folds overlapping and reduced at a point oo- In testimony whereof I aix my signature 5 incident With the said transverse blind seam, in presence of two Witnesses.

and the folds and bag adapted to automatio- JOSEPH B. MAY.

ally bend upon the transverse seam and the Witnesses:

reduced portion and engage With the staple, MORVEN THOMPSON,

and a supplelnentalfiap secured to the bagand HERBERT W. LAWSON. 

